Friday, January 15, 1999
Speaks Out
Speaks Out
Given that Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we
asked people what the day means to them. Does it have any special
significance or is it just another day off?
³He was a key person in equal rights not only for black
people, but for everyone. He helped bring about a lot of awareness
and did a lot of good for America, so it¹s good of us to honor
him with the day off. But it shouldn¹t just be another day
off. There should be speeches, parades, rallies. Maybe I¹ll go
if I have time and hear of one going on.²
April Beebe
Second-year
Design
³It¹s an important holiday because Martin Luther King
was an important person. When someone contributes a lot to history
and the way we think, then we should honor that person with a day
off. I¹m going to primarily study though, catch up on my
reading!²
Nima Gharavi
Second-year
Physiological science
³I¹ll just hang out. It¹s not really a day to
light candles or do anything like that. A lot of people say
it¹s just another holiday, but as long as people know
it¹s Martin¹s day, that¹s what¹s important.
People should know they have this day off because this man fought
for their civil rights.²
Ryan Lee
Second-year
History
³Yeah, it¹s a day off to me, but I also think about
what it means and what Martin means. I doubt people will spend all
day thinking about what it means, but the fact that we have the day
off signifies his importance. He was a great man who did a lot for
minorities, not just African Americans.²
Ann Nelson
Fourth-year
Civil engineering
³My family doesn¹t do much. We just watch the movie on
him that they show on TV that day. We don¹t celebrate it like
we should. But I think that goes for black people, in general. I
know my friends don¹t do anything either. They just see it as
a holiday. It¹s bad. We should do more. We used to attend the
King parade, but we haven¹t for five years.²
Tyresha Williams
Second-year
Psychology
³I¹ll just go home and rest. Or I¹ll do some
homework. I don¹t do anything special. My family¹s been
here awhile; my grandpa fought in World War II for the U.S.
Everything has been pretty good for us. So, even though
there¹s the holiday, I¹ll probably never be able to
understand or really empathize with the African American
experiences.²
Chris Woo
Second-year
Undeclared
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© 1999 ASUCLA Communications Board